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Austin Davis, image- Jay Floyd Lefty reliever Austin Davis has been an exciting contributor at two levels already this season.  After opening the season with the Class A Advances Clearwater Threshers, the 24-year-old was promoted to Double-A Reading, where he is mowing down the competition. Overall in 15 appearances this season, Davis, who was the Phils' 12th round pick in 2014, has a 2-0 record with a save, a 1.82 ERA and an 11.2 K/9 mark. Last week I talked with the six-foot-four 245-pounder about his recent success, learning from Roy Halladay, early memories of the game and plenty more.  Read ahead for that full interview. -You've been having plenty of success this year.  Talk a bit about your season thus far. Yeah, I'm just out here trying to help the team and get us wins and get us saves and just do whatever I can to help the team win and so far, so good. -Excellent.  The word on you early in the season was that your velocity was up a bit from prev...

The Phillies' new general manager has completed his first trade. A deal announced on Saturday saw Matt Klentak send pitching prospect Sam McWilliams to Arizona for right-hander Jeremy Hellickson . Hellickson will join a Phils pitching staff that included three rookies by season's end and is in need of some established durability. In the last five years, the Iowa native has averaged 150 innings per season. The 28-year-old sports a 49-48 record along with a 3.94 ERA in 142 career MLB outings. Hellickson was a 4th round pick by Tampa Bay in 2005 and was the American League Rookie of the Year in 2011 when he posted a 2.95 ERA in 29 starts in his first big league season. He also won a Gold Glove Award for his defense in 2012. McWilliams, 20, was an 8th round draft selection by the Phillies last year. In his time as a pro, the righty sported a 2-5 record with a 4.19 ERA and a 4.8 K/9 mark in 16 games (12 starts). Klentak took over as the team's GM last month. Durin...

This week I chatted with Class A Lakewood manager Shawn Williams and pitching coach Aaron Fultz about several young players currently in the thick of things with the BlueClaws. Williams, in his first season with Lakewood, spoke about new additions and 2015 Phillies draft picks Scott Kingery and Kyle Martin along with June's Sally League player of the month Herlis Rodriguez . Fultz took time to comment on hurlers Elniery Garcia , Ranfi Casimiro , Alexis Rivero plus more. Read ahead for comments from both coaches. Shawn Williams: -Speaking on 2nd round draft choice Scott Kingery and his impressions of the youngster thus far... He's an exciting player. He's a baseball player. He fits in with the rest of us here and he's an exciting player out there, especially defensively. He's outstanding at second, turning double plays. He can run. He puts together great at bats every game. He's had some tough luck where he's had a lot of hard outs. Jut lo...

Selected by the Phillies in this off-season's Rule 5 draft, right-handed pitcher Kevin Munson is probably the most likely prospect on this countdown to make the team's opening day roster. Munson, a fourth round draft selection in 2010 by Arizona, tallied a 1.59 ERA in five outings in the Mexican Winter League prior to joining the Phillies' organization this off-season. The hard-throwing hurler has been an under-performer in recent years and looks to shine with a change of scenery this year. In four pro seasons, the six-foot-one 215-pounder has posted an 11.39 K/9 mark, which clearly shows his ability to overpower the opposition at the plate. His 4.98 BB/9 mark certainly indicates there's plenty of room for improvement when addressing his control. Also, his 40.2% career ground ball ratio is fair, but not great. Pitching as high as Triple-A last year, Munson sported a 0-2 record with one save and a 5.09 ERA in 24 appearances for Reno in the hitter friendly Pa...

As the annual Winter Meetings begin to wind down the Rule 5 draft took place on Thursday and the Phillies lost a player while gaining another.  Right-hander Kevin Munson was selected by the Phils from Arizona while the Mets took righty hurler Seth Rosin from the Phillies. With Double-A Mobile in 2013, Munson was a mid-season All-Star, posting a 2-2 record with a 3.41 ERA, 13 saves and a .157 batting average against in 29 relief outings.  Following a promotion to the Triple-A Pacific Coast League, which is often considered tough on pitchers, the six-foot-one 215 pounder sported a 0-2 record along with a 5.09 ERA, one save and a .269 batting average against in 24 relief appearances for the Reno Aces.  Additionally, Munson combined to tally a 10.87 K/9 mark at the two levels last year. Scouting reports on Munson state that he has a low-90's fastball and a plus slider.  He projects to be a late inning reliever.  Munson was a 4th round draft selection by Ar...

Righty hurler Roy Halladay , who was slated to appear in another rehab outing for Double-A Reading on Sunday will return to the big league club instead, following a marathon of baseball Saturday night at Citizens Bank Park. In Saturday night's (Sunday morning's?) 12-7 defeat at the hands of the Diamondbacks, the Phillies sent nine pitchers and two position players to the mound to make it through the lengthy affair. Starter Ethan Martin could not escape the opening frame, as he allowed three hits, three walks and three earned runs. Over the 4 2/3 innings that followed, Luis Garcia and Zach Miner allowed a combined four earned runs. The remainder of the relief corps including Cesar Jimenez , Justin De Fratus , Jonathan Papelbon , Jake Diekman and B.J Rosenberg combined for 6 2/3 scoreless innings while Sunday's originally scheduled starter Tyler Cloyd was called upon to toss five scoreless frames. As the need to use Cloyd approached, the Phillies d...

The Phillies (16-19) continue their roadtrip as they head to Phoenix's Chase Field to take on the Diamondbacks (19-15) in a four-game series.  Winners of three straight, the Diamondbacks will send 23-year-old left-hander Patrick Corbin to the mound for the series opener.  Arizona has won all six of Corbin's starts this season.  The Phillies will counter with three-time All-Star Cole Hamels, who has a 3.38 ERA in five career starts at Chase Field.  Last season, the Phils won four of six meetings with Arizona, including two of three in Phoenix.  Read ahead for full details on the pitching match ups and plenty more stats from this series. Thursday, 9:40 PM.  Cole Hamels (1-4, 4.34 ERA) vs. Patrick Corbin (4-0, 1.80 ERA).  Hamels is sporting a 2.31 ERA over his last five starts.  In seven career starts against Arizona, Hamels is 4-1 with a 3.47 ERA.  The lefty Hamels is 1-1 with a 3.71 ERA three road starts this season.  In h...

Swift footed outfielder Ender Inciarte was picked up by the Phillies this past December in the MLB Rule 5 draft. The lefty batting Venezuelan looked extremely promising in his days in the Diamondbacks system, which drew the interest of the Phils. Signed as a amateur free agent in 2008, Inciarte began his professional career in the Dominican Summer League, batting .300 with minimal power (seven doubles were his only extra-base hits) while stealing 22 bases in 28 opportunities in 62 games. The 5-foot-11-inch 160-pounder then moved on to the rookie level Pioneer League, where he batted .325 with 14 doubles, a triple and a homer in 66 contests for Missoula in 2009. He also stole 10 bases in 14 chances. The following year, Inciarte split time at low A and full season Class A, posting a .229 average with 13 doubles, seven triples and one home run while utilizing his speed even less, swiping seven in 12 chances. In 2011, Inciarte spent the entire season with Class A South Bend of t...

Inciarte In the Rule 5 draft portion of the MLB Winter Meetings, on Thursday, the Phillies selected outfielder Ender Inciarte from the Arizona Diamondbacks. Inciarte, who has played 310 career minor league games in center field, posted a career high OPS of .797 combined at two levels, the Class A Midwest League and the Class A Advanced California League, in 2012. Additionally, Inciarte uses speed as a key to his offense, as he stole 46 bases in 58 opportunities last season and sports a 73% success rate in stolen base attempts during his pro career. Comparatively, Phillies' outfield prospect Tyson Gillies , who has had a considerable amount of injury issues since joining the organization, had an OPS of .809 at three levels in 2012 (.822 in 68 games at Double-A), which ranked as his third best season in that department through his minor league career. Gillies came over from Seattle in the December 2009 Cliff Lee trade after being picked in the 25th round of the 2006 dr...

The surging Diamondbacks (54-51), winners of 10 of their past 13 contests, head to Philadelphia to begin a three-game weekend set against the last place Phillies (47-58) on Friday. Less than two weeks ago, Arizona was 7 games back in the National League West division, but their hot streak paired with rough stretches by San Francisco and Los Angeles have allowed the D-Backs to creep upward into contention and they now reside just 2 games out of first place. The Phils are fresh off a series win on the road against the first place Nationals, but dropped the series finale on Thursday, 3-0. In the opener of this series, Arizona will send right-hander Ian Kennedy, a former 1st round draft pick of the Yankees, to the mound. The Phillies will counter with righty Joe Blanton, who has struggled at home of late, posting a 6.05 ERA in his last 6 starts at Citizens Bank Park. Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups and other key statistical notes for this series. Friday, 7:05 PM. Ian Kenne...

The Phillies (7-9) continue their road trip and stop in Arizona for a 3-game series against the Diamondbacks (8-8).  In a match up of pitchers that are filling in for injured teammates, the Phillies will send right-hander Kyle Kendrick to the mound, while the D-Backs will counter with lefty Wade Miley. Each hurler will be making his first start of the year as the pair fills in for Cliff Lee and Daniel Hudson respectively. Lee was placed on the disabled list on Saturday with an oblique strain, while Hudson was placed on the DL with a shoulder impingement following his last start.  The Phillies were 3-3 against Arizona last year and lost 2 of 3 games at Arizona's Chase Field in 2011. Monday, 9:40 PM.  Kyle Kendrick (0-0, 1.93 ERA) vs. Wade Miley (1-0, 3.12 ERA).   In 5 career games against the D-Backs, Kendrick has no decisions and a 4.56 ERA.  Miguel Montero is 4-for-6 with a double and a HR in his career against Kendrick.  In 3 career games at Ch...

As news dropped that Placido Polanco and Cole Hamels will miss time, the Phillies (78-41) are set to begin a three-game series against the playoff contending Arizona Diamondbacks (68-53). After Polanco worked out on the field at Citizens Bank Park, the team decided to place him on the disabled list. The All-star third baseman, who has been out of action lately with a sports hernia, tested his body with running and fielding drills on Tuesday, but the call was made to officially place him on the DL retroactive to August 7th. Polanco would then be available to return after just five more days. The move allows the Phillies to add a player to the active roster in the meantime. Surgery is likely in Polanco's future, but he prefers to put it off until the off-season and play through it, as the Phillies head toward a fifth straight post-season. In addition, an MRI on Cole Hamels' ailing left shoulder revealed inflammation and the team has announced that he will skip his nex...

Having lost their second closer to an injury, the Phillies will look to continue rolling through National League opponents as they continue their road trip and head to Arizona for a three-game series. On Sunday, the Phillies placed righty hurler Jose Contreras on the disabled list with a strained elbow in his throwing arm. Contreras was 5-for-5 in save opportunities this season in a substitute role for primary closer Brad Lidge, who has not pitched this season due to a strained shoulder. The Phillies have called up Mike Stutes , the Phillies' 11th round draft pick in 2008, to fill the void on the roster. Ryan Madson, who saved two games for the Phillies in San Diego in the Phillies' last series, will take over the closer duties in Contreras' place. The Phillies (15-6), who sport the best record in Major League Baseball, will take on the Diamondbacks (8-12), who are in fourth place, 5 1/2 games behind first place Colorado in the NL West division. The D-Backs won 2 of 3 mee...

Riding a 5-game win streak, the Phillies (53-46) will play host to the Diamondbacks (37-62) for a 3-game series beginning Tuesday night. The highlight of the series will be a pitching match up set to feature pair of pitchers who threw no-hitters this season. Arizona's Edwin Jackson tossed a no-no against the Rays on June 25th. Phillies ace Roy Halladay threw a perfect game against the Marlins on May 29th. The two history makers will face each other in the second game of the series on Wednesday night. The defending National League champions have swept back-to-back 4-game series at home against the Reds and Rockies. The 8 wins are the Phils' longest home winning streak since 1991, when they won 16 straight in Philadelphia. Read ahead for analysis on the pitching match ups and other key details from this series. Tuesday, 7:05pm. Rodrigo Lopez (5-9, 4.58 ERA) vs. Cole Hamels (7-7, 3.40 ERA). In 9 road starts this season, RoLo is 2-4 with a 4.27 ERA. Brian Schneider is 4-for-7 (.57...

The Phillies' (10-5) road trip continues, as they travel to Arizona for 3 games against the DiamondBacks (6-9). Arizona is struggling, as they won just one game over their last seven outings. Their relievers have a 12.42 ERA in that span. The first place Phillies will face two familiar pitchers, Kris Benson and Rodrigo Lopez, who have both been in the Phils' system in recent years, as well as a manager who is familiar, AJ Hinch, who once caught for the Phillies. The Phillies hope to build on recent strong starting pitching that has posted a 0.58 ERA in the past 4 games. Read ahead for information on pitching matchups and more. Friday, 9:40pm. Cole Hamels (2-1, 3.86 ERA) vs. Kris Benson (0-1, 3.00). Hamels is 2-0 in 3 starts against Arizona with a 1.74 ERA. In 13 2/3 innings pitched at Chase Field, Arizona batters have a .146 batting avg. against Colbert. Mark Reynolds is 0-for-6 in his career against Hamels. Benson is 5-0 with a 3.22 ERA in 9 career starts against Philadelphia...